From Esther's Album - The Middle Kids

Gwen and Bev about 1925

Forrest about 1925

Bev about 1923-24 Summer

From Esther's Album - Haying and Teams

A close up look at the hay crop about 1920 (if the little boy is Garth).  The girls are Clarissa and Berniece.  Their father George is standing back in the hay to give an idea of the height of the hay crop.  The hills tell us it is on the old Kennington place at the mouth of Graveyard Canyon.

From Esther's Album - Fall is in the Air

Garth, Gordon and Beverly Kennington

Gordon Kennington

Garth Kennington

By the way, notice that in the few years these kids grew older, the shed was removed from the east of the white house.  Compare with the shots in the last blog.

Esther's Album - Annie Rebecca's Home

Clarissa and Berniece with Garth and Gwen in front.

 Looking west, this photo (above) gives us an idea of how far back from the lane the white house was about 1918.  Below, the wood pile view shows a shed right off the east side of the house.  In the bottom photo, the south view of the house shows just how close the little shed was.
Remains of the house's foundations are still there among all the trees and bushes.

The wood pile with a wagon load ready to go.

Annie Rebecca's home on the west end of the block.  

Kennington Family Cars

The George Kennington Farm from Esther's Album

 Looks like Gwen and Garth in the back seat.  Driver needs identified.  Does it look like George?

Kennington Family on Picnic  from Esther's Album

From Esther's Album

Hy Kennington, Berniece and Clarissa, George Kennington holding Gwen's hand, Jen Low, ............................., Esther Matthews, Garth Kennington, and ..................................

Group shot of a Kennington outing  about 1918 or 1919?   They're all dressed up - so it's likely a special event of some sort (when compared with the casual clothes in picnic photos).

Cliss and Berniece look about 7 or 8, maybe 9.  Gwen looks about 2.

Looking at the dry irregular lay of the ground, could they be over by Auburn stopping at the sulphur springs area?  Their brother, Hy,  (Joseph Hyrum, 1878) raised his large family in Auburn.

Since  Esther is in the shot, would Hy's wife, Sarah Jane or George's wife, Martha have taken the shot?  Could the lady on the right be Isabelle Blanchard Kennington, wife to Henry, the oldest Kennington brother? Since Jen is there, could the lady in the middle be her mother, Molly Kennington Low?

If anyone recognizes these folks, please leave a comment or email me at this blog's gmail.

DUP Museum

As I mentioned before, we stopped by the DUP Museum before our final trip to the old brick house.  Here are a few of the items dealing directly with our Kennington Grandparents.  Annie Rebecca was George Kennington's mother.

A sequined collar worn by Annie Rebecca Seward Kennington.  On loan from Charlene Jensen

A shawl worn by Annie Rebecca Seward Kennington.  On loan from Charlene Jensen

     Annie Rebecca Seward Kennington's Dress Top.  Donated by Dorothy Kennington

 

 The top was the one all of us girls wore to the Primary Parades until we grew out of it - about 4th grade.  Annie Rebecca must have been an awfully tiny woman.

Silver Stein used for sacrament water in Afton North Ward Church of Jesus Christ  of Latter-Day Saints.

Last Visit to the Old House #2; The Letter

This is the attic of the attic - you'd need a ladder to get up there, but that was the spot where we found lots of letters and magazines from the Low period - 1908 - 1917.  Forrest's bedroom is on the right below the attic.

 A few weeks ago both Gene and Craig said the older brothers had their beds upstairs while the girls were down in the north east bedroom.  They remembered Forrest having the bedroom over the stairs. It was our first clue as to where anything from Dad might be  located.

Bear in mind, if you haven't seen the upstairs,  it is an unfinished area.  While the owners after the Kenningtons kept a very nice house downstairs, the attic area seems to have been left alone for all those years except for a little storage.

The room over the stairs is rather odd shaped with the eve of the roof taking away a good chunk of room on the right of the window.  In addition,  a chimney stack is about 5 feet away from the window coming up from the parlor and what was the master bedroom.   The walls are done in rough cut lumber.  (Perhaps surroundings like that inspired him to be a carpenter)

Because Saturday was our last trip to the house, we focused on his room which we had skipped on the other trips. We tried to think how Dad (Forrest) would have set his room up.    We remembered his shops and how methodical he was wherever we lived.  Anything he did would be logical and the most direct.  We assumed he would have centered activity around the window - maybe a chair or stool or desk near the window for light and fresh breezes.  (I hate to think how cold it would be in the winter)

Chimney stack in what was Forrest's bedroom.  Window is now boarded up.

Looking south from the bedroom door.  Chimney stack is on the far left.

 When we examined the south side of the chimney stack facing  the window we were delighted!
This was one time a kid could be forgiven for writing on the walls! 

Believed to be K and F for Forrest.

Right below is a very plain "Kennington" with the hook typical of his signature.

THE LETTER

We thought it couldn't get better than that, then Carson again came through (he discovered the first letter).  He checked the floor boards under the window and there was a lovely letter from Forrest's Sunday School Class offering condolences at his father's passing in July of 1939.

 His father's death came when Forrest was 15 years old.  He keenly felt the weight of providing for his Mother and younger siblings.  One could imagine him sitting near that dormer window catching a July breeze while he read the letter after his father's passing.  He would try to make the family dairy pay, but it was a loosing battle.  He left school and headed out to work in Evanston,  then on to Arizona with the General Contractor, Schumaker-Evans and last to the Marine Corps.  He sent the balance of his pay back to his mother for the family over the next 5 years - through the end of WWII.

We were touched to imagine the 15 year old Forrest pondering that letter one final time before slipping it under his window where it would lay undisturbed for the next 73 years.  And we were so grateful for its discovery.

Somehow it seems fitting that a tender letter to our father be our family's final memento of the old  brick house.

Donna and Lynette reading the letter.

Transcript of the letter:
We wish at this time, Forrest, to offer our sincere sympathies to you.  In these hours of bereavement we hope you will not be discouraged, but that your will always look on the bright side of life and know that what is done now or anytime is done for the best by the hand of One who knows what is best for us.

We understand that a lot of the responsibilities that your father had will now fall on you, and we hope that you will be able to carry on just as your father would have done if he had not been called and we know you will.

We all know what a wonderful father you had!  We all know how blessed you are to have had such a person to guide and direct you.  And the things which come up in your life to puzzle you, although    you won't have his direct counsel,  think "If I do what my father would have done,  I will be right."

Forrest, He is not dead!  
I cannot say and will not say that he is dead.  
He's just away, 
With a cherry smile and a wave of the hand, 
He wandered into an unknown land, 
And left us dreaming, 
How very fair it needs must be, 
Since he lingers there.
 And you, Oh you, who fondly yearns,
 For the old time step and the glad return, 
Think of him faring on as dear in the love of 
There as the love of here. 
Think of him still as the same I say
He is not Dead, he is just away.

.........ly,

...Sunday School Class


Note:  Poem quoted is Away by James Whitcomb Riley (1849-1916)

One last visit to the Old Brick House #1

Donna arranged for us to have one final go through of the old Kennington Home.  We just wanted to make sure we didn't miss anything.  We did a quick visit at the DUP Museum on our way.  They are getting a fabulous collection.  It really put us in the mood to look for old stuff.

Not much had changed since our family reunion last month.  The trees around the house are starting to be cut down.  But I doubt if anyone had been inside since the reunion. 

Below is a quick swing around the front room.